All good things must eventually end...............

     This day was coming all along, yes, this day, the last night of our journey of 2015.  We're here in Las Vegas spending the last night of this years journey, we been here visiting our good Friend Fred Keene who is working here in the area and staying in his RV at this park.  The Oasis Las Vegas RV resort is a fine place and a place we would definitely stay again, top shelf RV resort.  Normally it's comp'd rooms at one of the Casino Hotels, but I wouldn't hesitate to drive the motor home up here and stay here in the future.  If you know me you know that this would be one of my favorite places to spend the last few days of any journey anytime, I love this place.
     After we travel the 296 miles from Las Vegas to Phoenix tomorrow we will have traveled 6495 miles from May 30th when we left to September 1st when we will arrive back in Phoenix.  That's not a record for us but it seems to be about the norm for a 2 1/2 - 3 month trek across this great country of ours!  We usually end up with between 6,000 and 7,000 miles on these trips and based on an average of let's say 6.85 mpg, that's like 948 gallons of gas at an average cost of about $2.60/gal. on this trip.  Yes if you us the 6495 and the 948 gallons it's like $2400 in gas.............but well worth it believe me for the time we spend together (in between visiting friends).
     Even though this trip mirror a couple of others in some ways, we always seem to find new places and things to do and see.  This year some of the high points were like North Dakota, especially Medora..........freaking awesome time in that area!  Florence, Oregon this year was one of the greatest weeks of the trip, two nice golf courses and wonderful weather..........good friends too!  Thanks Al and Tabatha!  We may have to reconsider when we visit family in Iowa, that first couple of weeks in June just really suck!  We had more rain in those 2 1/2 weeks that we get in Phoenix in 5 years......no shit, believe it, that makes for miserable times.  Then there was the hail storm that totally trashed our 4 week old new car (mostly the hood) in Superior, WI.  And then we hit Vegas......it really puts us back in the climate of our home, 102 - 104 for the past few days and not all that bad.  Hey it's a dry heat and that really matters........believe it.  We both can breath one hell of a lot better in the dry air, not all stuffed up all the time!  We dodged fires all through Washington, Oregon and California, no matter what road we took we missed all the fires and smoke.
     We both looked at each other today and said...........why are we going home?  We can to northern Arizona for a while, not a problem!  One big problem or should I say two big problems, that would be "Jack" and "Dalila", we miss the grand kids so much and our friends at home too but those kids we just need to hug............big hugs!  Now we may after a few days or a weeks say OK we got those hugs, now lets go again for a few weeks!
(One thing I might add to this blog.............there seemed to be some weight gain on this trip, man do we need to address that when we got home! Too many visits with friends and too many meals out of the coach! We have our work cut out for us)
   
   

Pacifica, CA.

     I could spit over the cliffs and hit the ocean...............yes the only thing better in Bev's eyes would be to have the coach pulled up to the edge and see that view out the front window.  San Francisco RV resort's front row accommodates 26 foot and under along the front row so we're back one in a pull through but that doesn't detract from the fact that we're just steps from the ocean view Bev has always wanted.  We are only spending three days here in the Bay area but enjoying every minute of it as usual when we visit San Francisco!  

     Reality stuck it's little head in yesterday morning as we sat on a bench just after dawn watching the pelicans and seagulls working for their breakfast in the early morning mist and fog.  As we sat there Bev said "you realize that we'll be home in a week from today" and we both looked at each other and wondered where the last 3 months had gone.  We neither one are ready to go home as far as the traveling goes, but we both can't wait to get home to the kids and grand kids, we really miss them a lot!  

     This our last day in the Bay area we plan on going in to town, doing tourist thing once again and visit one our favorite places, the Wharf, yes Fisherman's Wharf and some fresh sea food.  How does clam chowder and some good old San Francisco sour dough bread sound?     We might even head to the corner of Green and Columbus to this little Italian joint I seen on the travel channel for this sea food dish that sounded so good.  The dish had clams, mussels, shrimp, fish and calamari all steamed and combined in this sort of tomato based sauce.  Not sure of the name of the place but remember it was on this corner and shouldn't be too hard to find.

     Tomorrow morning we'll hookup for the the drive to Las Vegas where we'll spend out last few days of this our journey of 2015.  Normally when in Vegas we stay at one of the resorts in comp'd rooms at the Luxor or a Harrah's property, but this time we'll be staying in an RV resort near our good friend Fred Keene.  Fred's been working on the road for some time and we've missed seeing him over the last year or so, and look forward to camping near him at the Oasis Las Vegas Resort.  Going from this 50 - 60 degree weather on coast to the 100's of the desert will be a stark reality that home is right around the corner.  One thing will be welcomed by me at least, and that will be the dry air..........I look forward to being able to get "unstuffed" and breath more freely in the dry conditions of home.

     One or two more blogs for this trip I would imagine, one from Las Vegas (I'll try) and then a wrap-up upon our return home on September 1st.  Don't be surprised if this coach doesn't take a couple of little trips this winter!

  

Sacramento to San Francisco

     Arrived in Sacramento on Sunday the 16th and will be leaving here on the 24th for San Francisco or at least the Bay area.  We've got a spot in San Francisco RV park, Pacifica, Ca. over looking the Ocean.  It's been a little warm during the days here in Sacramento but does cool down quite nicely during the evenings.
     Hooked up with my cousins on Tuesday for the evening, dinner at Chicago Fire and then ice cream down in Old Sacramento.  Going to Don and Sharon Paper's tonight for a BBQ along with them and Rich and Lynn Paper.  We're hoping to get a round of golf in just not sure when or where, looking into a Troon course at Cache Creek Casino and Resort.  A very beautiful course called Yocha Dehe Golf Club, gave it a peek last year while visiting and checked it out again yesterday, just hoping for a bit cooler temps.  The Troon course is really not the type of course for Bev based on her handicap but she would enjoy the beauty of the course, but it could be very frustrating too!
     If you've seen FB then you know we visited Lake Tahoe and spent the night at Harrah's Lake Tahoe Hotel and Casino.  While there Bev gave paddle boarding a try with the guidance of cousin Suzanne, she finally got up on the board, but it sure wasn't as easy as one might think and she found out!  After numerous efforts she finally got up and paddled a bit but she'll admit she has a ways to go to master it.
     We're on the final leg so to speak of this journey of 2015, from Sacramento onto to San Francisco for a few days and then Las Vegas for a few more days to arrive home on September 1st or 2nd.  It will be just over 3 months on the road and we miss our family but will definitely miss being out and about around this great country of ours!  No friends to visit in San Francisco but will enjoy the cool temps and the city itself as we always do when visiting the Bay area.  We will be hooking up with our Friend Fred in Vegas, have missed him and will enjoy visiting and catching up on the long time between visits.
     There will be more to come in these last few weeks and days of this journey!      

California....."State of Jefferson"

     Finally in California, spent the night on the 11th at a KOA in Shasta City, CA in the shadow of Mount Shasta with it's still at this time snow peaks!  This would be one of our last cool nights in the motor home, heading south on this the last leg of our journey the temps will continue to get warmer and warmer as we near our home in Phoenix (which broke the old record of 112 yesterday with a new one of 117).  We arrived at Ghost Mt. Ranch RV park and campground on the 12th and will leave here on Sunday for our next stop in Sacramento, CA for a week.  Ghost Mt. Ranch is still in the tall pines of northern California so the temps at night still are cool but starting to reach the 80's during the day.  Pollack Pines where this park is located is a nice densely covered area of tall pines with the sun peaking through here and there.  Bev and I both have commented on the eerie feeling we get coming home at night on the 1 mile winding road leading to the camp, the road lined tightly with these tall trees and the bright lights on just gives you that feeling when not being used to these surroundings.  We have had great fun visiting cousin Suzanne Floyd and her family here at Pollack Pines, she has been a great host and we surely enjoyed meeting all her family and dinning with them.  We feel very blessed to have so many friends and family in so many parts of this beautiful country of ours to visit along the paths of all our journeys.  The many days and nights of just being with each other is great, but a day or two here and there friends and family is also very much enjoyed.
     If you keep up with the news you are aware of the proposals to divide California into multiple states, one plan has California being divided into 5 separate states.  The upper most part of California, norther California has really jumped in with both feet, you see the sign along the roadways and many buildings and businesses simply saying "the State of Jefferson".  If I were living here in northern California I too would be pushing for this, tax wise, water wish, regulation wise it would make life so much better for the folks up here to not be lumped with the liberal thinking of the south and middle of this state.  Yes, I for one hope something like this comes to fruition for the folks here that don't agree with the Hollywood elite or the loons running the Bay area!  In case you haven't seen or heard about it here are a couple of articles referencing this idea which I believe now has the signatures to make the ballot.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/02/20/california-state-division/5661143/

http://dailycaller.com/2014/07/15/plan-to-divide-california-into-six-states-will-be-up-for-vote-in-2016-election/

     Well we're looking forward to hooking up with up some more family in Sacramento, cousins Rich and Don Paper and families, always a good time hanging with these folks and oh so many laughs will be had and as always a lot of reminiscing too!
     Colorado River Adventures ( http://www.coloradoriveradventures.com/ ) we joined this here at Ghost Mt. Ranch and are planning some winter stays in a few of these places.  Check it out at the site listed above.



  

Where the hell have you been Mike.......................

     Well we must be having a lot of fun, why else would it be not 5 but 10 days now between blogs!  Yep, we're still in Florence, OR and it's been a total joy and so relaxing not to mention such cool temps and no rain until yesterday.  The rain was and is again today so fine its basically a heavy mist or fog, not too hard to handle.  I'm not normally a rain guy, do not like rain or wind but this for the time now seems refreshing.  Snuggling beneath and in between flannel sheets and a blanket and a throw over that make for some great sleeping to say the least!
     Between dinners with friends, movies, a couple of rounds of golf, ACS relay for life events, a couple of trips to Three Rivers Casino and a whole lot of vegetating this has been a great 10 days.  We plan on pulling out of here tomorrow morning and heading back to Interstate 5 heading south into California, yes the fires have us a bit worried but folks we know along the way tell us I-5 is clear and should have no problems going into the Lake Tahoe area and on to Sacramento.  We want to also go back to the Watsonville area but realize we are running out of time.............wait we can't run out of time, but we did and do have an idea of when we wanted to arrive back in Phoenix.  As long as the cash holds out I'm kind of sure we might just find any time we need.  (but you know we miss the kids and grand kids immensely!)
     If there is going to be a problem from here on it's going to be our water problem!  Yes we may just have a major item to deal with upon our return (we don't want to spent anymore time waiting for the coach to under go repairs) our water system has a leak somewhere underneath the floor.  At this time if we hook up to city water the floor gets wet under the kitchen tile and living room carpet, even if we leave the coaches water pump on and don't hook to city water we still have the leak problem.  As of now we're using the pump and turning it on and off as needed and that seems to be working right now in a pinch.  Once again I'm hoping the extended warranty covers not only the leak and it's causes and repairs but the repair/replacement of damage done to the coach.  New flooring will be needed and we wanted to do that anyway so hopefully this problem will take care of getting that done under warranty.  Oh well just part of living in a house that rolls down the road....................
     We made our reservations this morning for our stay in the Sacramento area and now need to focus on the Tahoe area or somewhere near there.  We like Zephyr but it's another one of those places that are hard to get into without long range reservations.  Once again...........oh well, we're fly by the seat of your pants couples and love it that way!
     Mercer Lake RV resort here in Florence, OR was a super place, nice lake, boats and pines................NO INTERNET OR WIFI CONNECTS!  It will be a great place to park and relax in the future, but it will have to be after Beverly quits working and will not need those lines of communications open while on the road.  We're spending our last few days of Florence at the Three Rivers Casino RV lots and are cooking with 4G and 5 bars!  My lady has been over-joyed!
     Will try not to take so many days between blogs............Life is all good and we're loving each other and each day more and more!




 

Times flying by........

      Can't believe it's been 5 days since my last blog posting, so little seems to have transpired yet so much has.  We spent two nights in Woodburn, OR right near Molalla, OR where we had planned on stopping and paying another friend from Orangewood (Kitty Madlinger) a visit before heading to the coast.  A funny thing happen....Kitty and her daughter Connie had went to the coast for a couple of days, but returned in time for us to visit our last night there.  A short visit but a nice visit non the less, just one of the disadvantages of our traveling by the seat of our pants so to speak......we do like it that way though!
     It wasn't far to get to our next stop, Florence, OR, what a nice little place along the pacific coast of Oregon.  The liberal environment is a bit unsettling at times, things like hanging from bridges protesting ships heading to Alaska oil diggings while others paddle in  support from the kayak's made from petroleum!  Then you have the 5 cent deposit not all the regular bottle like a few other states (very few) but it's also on those paper thin water bottles you buy by the case....$1.20 deposit on a case and then you have to push them into a container with a hole to have the code read one by one at the store!  NO crushing.....and NO caps left on???  Oh well you take the bad with the good when in this corner of our country!
      First night in Florence and we got to visit with old friends Al Rojas and his wife Tabitha, they moved to Florence two years ago, actually the same time we were visiting the area last.  Hoping to do more with them during our weeks visit.  Two very nice looking golf courses and we plan on playing both during the week sometimes.  I'm sitting at an outside table at a place called "Spice Bistro" while Bev does some work and I do this blog....because our Wifi sucks at the camp site, oh well.  Good food and a lot of tourist walking by And locals with dogs!  I love dogs, but don't walk by my table and let your dog lick my leg while I'm eating!  I've had many a dog but never felt compelled to take them where or near strangers eating and enjoying the day, and trying to bring them into eating establishments......once more, oh well.
     Can't wait to take some pics of Sand Pines golf course tomorrow........links style course!  By the way did I mention the weather is nice, very nice, low to mid 70's here on the coast line.  One more note....I'm already tiring of seeing fluorescent yellow "O" and green crap........for me, Go Beavers when in Oregon!

Liberty Lake, Idaho (laundry day)

     Saturday the 25th and we're now at the RV (mini park) of RnR RV Sales and Service in Liberty Lake, Idaho.  Our reservations at Blackwell's Island RV in Coeur D'Alene ran out and the place is always so busy as most this time of year we couldn't get an extra night or two.  I have an appointment for some minor service items on Monday here at RnR (antenna, water pump noise/leak, lights on tow vehicle) so it's nice that they have this parking area with "full-hookup service" for out-of-town traveler's.  We are looking forward to hitting the road again and heading towards Florence, Oregon for our next stop.  We finally found a place there for a week off the coast and on a lake which sounds like it's just full of fish!  Yes, fish.....and Bev wants to rent a boat and do some fishing, go figure...I guess catching all those Walleye at Devils Lake got her the bug.  As we all know, fishing isn't always throw the line in and reel in a fish shortly afterwards, sometimes you must work at it so we'll she how she fares next weeks.
     Sometimes you want to be alone, and sometimes you want to be around friends and family and a trip or journey like this can afford one the best of both worlds.  We'll have been gone from home at least 3 months by the time this journey is over, and will have experienced the best of both those worlds.  We do so enjoy being alone, just the two of us in a new area of the country or even familiar parts of the country.  We do enjoy waking up in the morning with nothing to do but relax and enjoy the day together, our alone time, or by exploring someplace new.  We very much enjoy going to a movie in the evening in a small town movie theater, or any town movie theaters.  We go the the movies occasionally when at home, but on these trips it seems to be at the top of an evenings list as long as there is something worth seeing.  That is why it is also nice to have so many friends in so many different states across the country.  We will have spent time with friends in every state we been in from time we left Iowa and all our family there.  We've spent time with friends in WI, MN, ND, and now ID and looking for to seeing friends in OR and CA before heading home.  It is nice to stop and spend time with friends while traveling, but nice spending time alone also.  We're just so lucky to have so many friends all over the country.
     These past couple of days have really been relaxing, we really haven't done much of anything, today is laundry day (once again) so we'll be heading to the nearest laundromat to spend about 2 1/2 hours of doing 4 loads.  It usually run about $20 to do laundry at a nice place, Big Boy washer usually cost more but help get us in and out a bit sooner.  Tomorrow we hope to get the coach in and out without costing too much and then hit the road towards Oregon!